True as the Stars Above
by Sokorra Lewis
Summary: Ben never expected Johnny to settle down, but he thinks that the girl Johnny finally choose was perfect. Ben's POV. Writtian for Fanfic100 [Complete]


Title: True as The Stars Above (1/1)  
Prompt: 96- Writer's Choice (because I couldn't fit this under anything Else)   
Category: Fantastic Four  
Pairing: Johnny Storm/Frankie Raye, Ben/Alicia, Reed/Sue  
Genre: Romance/Friendship  
Summery: Ben never expected Johnny to settle down, but he thinks that the girl Johnny finally chooses is perfect. Ben's POV  
Word Count: 1,517

Warning: Spoilers for _Rise of the Silver Surfer._

_Note: This is my first time doing Ben Grimm's POV. I'm not sure I got entirely right, but frankly I'm kinda proud of this right now. I wrote it in one go, and this is after a practical drought in my writing. So I'm happy, even if it's not the best. If it is well received I may try doing other POV stories._

Also, the title is from the Johnny Cash song "Frankie and Johnny" although that song is kinda depressing and has nothing to do with this story. I just needed a title and that had a few pretty lines.

* * *

I never thought this day would happen that Johnny Storm would be getting married. Hell, I never thought about it, let alone wither it would happen or not. It just was never a plausible option. He was too much of a hot headed playboy.

I never liked him, not until after we gained our powers. After that our relationship became more brotherly antagonistic instead of outright dislike. He was my family now, as much as Reed, Sue and Alicia were. Another younger brother I never had. I still found him vastly annoying, and we still fought a lot but the anger and power behind it all were no longer there.

Even if I had thought Johnny would ever settle down, the last person I would have expected it to be with would be Ms. Frances Raye. Frankie was not his typical style. Everyone knew he found her attractive, but we never thought anything would come from it. Frankie's a tough girl, and someone whose not up for a lot of nonsense…and Johnny is all for that. She's prim and proper and Johnny will do just about anything to have fun.

I guess she came at the right time. With Reed and Sue's wedding coming up, it made everyone wonder about their own happiness and all that. I made the decision to let Alicia move in with me. Johnny started to realize that he was lonely despite the fame and the beautiful girlfriends. The last girl he dated, the one he brought to the wedding right before our little adventure across the globe was probably the last straw. She was a good girl, considering his usual dating subjects, but she had hardly anything in common with Johnny other then good looks and enjoying life.

It finally struck me how alone he felt when we were sitting at that bar in England. I had Alicia, and he admitted he was jealous of me having someone to want to spend my last moments with. Sue and Reed had each other, and the whole wedding thing had thrown that in our faces. The only one who really didn't have a special someone was Johnny, and apparently that loneliness set its sights on the pretty General's aide. 

Frankie is a stubborn girl. She didn't give in to him right away. I think that was half the appeal. Even before he was famous, Johnny did not want for dating options. Finally here was a girl who just wasn't impressed by his fancy car, or his charming smile and fame. She wanted more from him then that. And eventually he was able to give her that.

I was probably one of the most shocked when she showed up at the final wedding. Reed certainly was. We had all witnessed that scene in the hallway, but there was still a lot of distance to cover between her believing Johnny needed to do this to save the word and her being willing to be his date. Sue had this look on her face that told me she knew, and she probably helped orchestrate it too. Alicia also knew but then she has this ability to know things before they happen or without you telling her about them. Part of me wonders if she has powers of her own.

But standing across from Johnny, I knew one thing. He was actually truly happy, and not just for his sister.

Many would think the story would end there, with Frankie and Johnny starting a relationship, but they would be wrong. Things just kept going wrong for those two. After about two months they broke up. Johnny was heartbroken and while I didn't see Frankie during this period, I have it on good authority that she didn't deal with it well herself. They just couldn't seem to make it work.

Unfortunately, they have Victor Von Doom to thank for giving them the bricks for that metaphorical bridge.

You see, when Frankie was sixteen she was involved in a very bad chemical accident. Her step-father Finny Holden had created the original Human Torch (Ironic) and in the process of destroying it, Frankie was caught up in the spill and later flames. However, something strange happened and the fire didn't affect her. It was if her skin had absorbed the chemical and repelled the flames. However, Holden didn't want to take any chances and made sure Frankie was afraid of fire. He hypnotized her and put the suggestion in her mind that made her pyrophobic. It was one of the obstacles she and Johnny had the first time around.

Now what did Victor have to do with this? Simple. He found out about Frankie's fear and decided to use it against her in revenge for helping us out and therefore leading to his impromptu bath in the Atlantic. He tricked her into coming to the laboratory where he was holding Holden captive. He then torched the place. Unfortunately Holden didn't make it, but Frankie came out of it unscathed, at least physically.

Reed tested Frankie for weeks afterwards, having her recover at the Baxter Building. It was Elizabeth, Frankie's mother who finally admitted the chemical accident. Reed found out that the chemical had indeed absorbed into Frankie's skin. But instead of leaving her system when the body went through its renewing stages every seven years, it had altered her DNA, making her essentially the female Human Torch.

Frankie was scared and it took all of us to help her get over her phobia and adjust to the knowledge that she was tad different. Johnny helped most of all, knowing how it felt to have that particular 'gift.' Granted, it wasn't completely the same, as Frankie had a little bit of a higher starting temperature and theoretically could survive in a vacuum for a little bit (Reed was not into testing that theory and neither was I) During this time I really got to know her and if you when beyond the 'army persona', she was friendly, fun and I was happy to call her friend.

Over the months, her and Johnny got closer, became friends and slowly got back to being in a relationship.

Frankie helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my relationship with Alicia. She helped me finally see that I could marry Alicia and not expect the same thing that I got from Debbie. However one of the things I remember most of that conversation was when she hugged me and said I was one of her closest friends.

When Johnny finally got up the nerve to do his own proposing (I had asked Alicia a year earlier and we had had a small ceremony with just our 'family' present) I was surprised to find out I was the first person Frankie decided to call. Johnny and she had spilt the calling duty and I could hear Johnny telling Sue and therefore Reed in the background as she excitedly told me her and Johnny were getting married. What she said next shocked me…She asked me to be the one to walk her down the aisle since Holden was dead. I was surprised that she held me in such high regard and secondly that Johnny had been ok with it.

Which I shall be doing in just a little over five minutes. They choose to have a slightly bigger wedding then mine, more like what Reed and Sue's original wedding was supposed to be like. Johnny's 'Human Torch' Persona required it. I wonder what the public would think if they saw their cool, public loving hero being a nervous wreck in the dressing room like any groom on the big day. Reed's trying his best to calm Johnny down since I have to make my way to the Bridal room where Alicia and Sue are adding last minute touches to Frankie's gown and make-up. I'm sure her mother is there as well, tearing up at the thought of her only daughter getting married.

Like I said, I never would have pictured Johnny married. But I am glad he is. Frankie's perfect for him, and he for her. She doesn't take his crap, and he makes sure that Frankie unwinds sometimes. They even each other out. The yin and yang or however that goes.

"Hey, Bennie. Ready to walk me down the aisle?" I smile at Frankie as she lifts her arm for me to take hold of, smiling back. Alicia and Sue walk down before us and stand opposite of Johnny and Reed (and later myself).

"Ya Ready?" I ask, turning to face her. She only gives me a half smile, and turns to face the front of the aisle. As we walk down the aisle, I notice her shaking her head and smiling. Johnny wore a bright, almost fire engine red tie. He just smiled back at her and winked, his nervousness gone.

For once everyone was happy. There were no supervillians trying to take over the world, or eat it. Everyone was healthy. We were for once, just a family enjoying a happy event.


End file.
